Ueli Gegenschatz

Ueli Gegenschatz took flight just about every way a human can: paragliding, skydiving, BASE jumping (from the Eiffel Tower), and most breathtakingly: by donning a wingsuit and soaring.

Why you should listen

Ueli Gegenschatz was known for his expert paragliding, skydiving and BASE jumping -- and his utterly jawdropping flight in a wingsuit, a high-tech flying-squirrel-inspired getup that let him soar as close as humanly possible to our shared dream of flight. His "addiction to speed" continues to inspire.

A member of the Swiss national paragliding team for four years, Gegenschatz co-founded the Red Bull acro team in 1995. His BASE jumping stunts are the stuff of YouTube legend: the Eiffel Tower; Petronas Towers in KL; the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks all in one day.

Ueli Gegenschatz’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Ueli Gegenschatz

After an accident during a BASE jump on Nov. 11, aerialist Ueli Gegenschatz has died in a Swiss hospital. This spring at TED, Gegenschatz spoke movingly of his desire “to come as close as possible to the human dream of being able to fly.” Our thoughts are with his friends and family.